Eight Calgary flood photos recreated two years later

This weekend, Calgarians from every quadrant will likely spend some time thinking about the flood that consumed our city only two years ago.  It was a time like many of us have never seen before and, in fact, some are still recovering from.

The flood caused the evacuation of 100,000 people, was the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history and changed the many of Alberta’s rivers forever.

I still remember the morning of the flood. I was working at the early shift at Breakfast Television and one of my co-workers had a friend in Canmore who was saying that water was going over the highway.  It was shocking, but we never thought that just a few hours later, thousands upon thousands of Calgarians would be forced from their homes for weeks if not months to come.

Last year, to mark the anniversary, I retold the story of the flood through the tweets of the people who lived it.

This year, I wanted to go back and look at the photos from that day. Because I lived on the river and was working at BT, I spent a lot of time in the core both during the flood and the days after as we waited for the water to receded.

So this week, I went back to where I took photos of the river two years ago. In some places it was impossible to recreate the exact photo because back then I was standing in the middle of a closed road, and today, the roads downtown are anything but closed.

Here’s what I saw, but then and now.

First, here’s a tweet from two years ago. It shows you how fast the water rose.

Poppy Plaza is taking a lickin’. Two photos twenty hours apart. #yycflood #abflood pic.twitter.com/0CRJKCag74

— Mike Morrison (@mikesbloggity) June 21, 2013

And another one:

10th St. Bridge is still open. Huge difference from 20 hours ago. #yycflood #abflood pic.twitter.com/qD0djbQ4Rg — Mike Morrison (@mikesbloggity) June 21, 2013

2013:

The Cecil Motel has never looked worse…and that’s saying something. #abflood #yycflood pic.twitter.com/jVh72wEKIB

— Mike Morrison (@mikesbloggity) June 21, 2013

2015:

2013:

Forced to turn around at Chinatown. #abflood #yycflood pic.twitter.com/b7qswQbx5d — Mike Morrison (@mikesbloggity) June 21, 2013

2015:

2013:

Peace Bridge is very much still standing. Silly social media rumours. #yycflood pic.twitter.com/tDDdAxDl6Q

— Mike Morrison (@mikesbloggity) June 22, 2013

2015:

 

2013:

The Macleod Trail under pass is 99% submerged. #yycflood #abflood pic.twitter.com/UNBRBmyMC4 — Mike Morrison (@mikesbloggity) June 21, 2013

2015:

2013:

No where to go on 9th ave. #abflood #yycflood pic.twitter.com/cFmayqRlPp

— Mike Morrison (@mikesbloggity) June 21, 2013

2015:

 

2013:

The water has surrounded City Hall. #yycflood #abflood pic.twitter.com/A5IUXhJqPY — Mike Morrison (@mikesbloggity) June 21, 2013

2015:

2013:

Mission residents burning flood-damaged documents from their apartments. #yycflood #abflood pic.twitter.com/5lkrsbjyso

— Mike Morrison (@mikesbloggity) June 22, 2013

2015:

2013

Another waterlogged photo of Mission. Although some other blocks completely untouched. #yycflood pic.twitter.com/gX0nTHi68Y

— Mike Morrison (@mikesbloggity) June 22, 2013

2015

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